I am so fucking angry at everyone. It is none of their business my relationship with Alyssa. I am tempted to yell at every single one of them, but I won’t because Alyssa doesn’t want me to. She has a point; it would make things worse. I understand what she meant. It will be worse for her. I promised to keep my mouth shut, but if I hear anyone say a single bad word about Alyssa… I will end up losing my shit.

Thankfully, it is the end of the day. Everyone should have left or be on their way out. I finish up what I am doing and leave. I am going to stop by Alyssa’s favorite Italian restaurant for dinner. She loves their pizza, and I promised a bottle of wine. I head out of the building and straight to my car. I called our order ahead, so it should be ready when I arrive.

I arrive at the restaurant and stroll inside, placing my order. I step aside until it is ready. They said it should only be a few minutes. I take the opportunity to call Alyssa. I haven’t heard from her since our text once she left the office. It rings a few times, and I half expect her not to answer, but she finally does.

“Hey, baby girl. How are you doing? Do you want me to bring anything else in with me?”

“No, the food and wine will be fine. I will see you soon.” She says and hangs up.

I sigh. She is still upset. I hope she doesn’t hate me for this. My order is called. I already paid for it; I grab it and stop by the wine store on my way to Alyssa’s place as quickly as I can. I let myself in with the code. When I enter her apartment, she is lying on the sofa in sweats, watching a movie and eating ice cream.

“Hey, beautiful.”

She looks up at me and gives me a small smile. “Hi.”

I set everything down and join her on the sofa. I lift her legs and place them over my lap.

“Alyssa, I am sorry this is happening.”

She shrugs. “It is fine. It was due to happen at some point. I didn’t expect it to be so soon. Let me guess, the whispering stopped while I wasn’t around?”

I could lie to her, but we didn’t do that. “Yes, that is true.”

“I knew it. Tomorrow will be fun.”

“You don’t need to come in tomorrow, and then we head to Chicago the following day,” I say, rubbing her leg.

“No. I will come into the office. I shouldn’t be letting them all get to me so much. It is none of their fucking business.” She snarls.

“No, it isn’t. They will get over it.” I smile.

She nods and focuses back on the TV. I don’t continue with the conversation. Instead, I stroll to the kitchen to get us some glasses for the wine. We can reheat the pizza from the box; it always tastes better anyway.

By the time I return, Alyssa is already biting into a slice. She freezes when she realizes she has been caught. I laugh loudly, making her do the same. I pour us some wine and grab a slice for myself. Alyssa shifts positions so she can rest her head on my lap. She needs comfort from me, and that is exactly what she will get from me. I will always take care of her and protect her when needed. I use my free hand to play with her hair.

“Angel, please don’t let all of this get to you and make you change your mind about us,” I say nervously.

She glances up at me. “I promise it won’t change anything between us.”

I lean down and kiss her softly. “Thank you because I am not ready to let go of you.”

“Me. I promise. You are stuck with me.” She replies with a massive smile.

“Good, I want it that way. It seems a little better. I just hope the whispering doesn’t last too long. Alyssa doesn’t deserve it. I am sure the people in the office have done worse.”

Alyssa had fallen asleep with her head on my lap. We finished off the pizza and wine and even had some more ice cream. She has been rather quiet. I pity it. I just wish I could make her feel better.

I carefully remove her head from my lap. I wanted to clean up our mess before taking her to bed. I will try and talk her into taking the day off, but if she doesn’t want to, that is okay. I get it. She doesn’t want to back down from everyone; quite frankly, I can be hers. A couple of days in Chicago couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. It will be good for us to get away from it all. Alyssa can relax in the hotel, which has a spa, and then we can go for a nice dinner and drinks and enjoy the city together.

My work is done. I go to the bedroom to get the bed ready for her. She hadn’t shifted an inch when I return to the living room; I’ll just put her into it. I join her. I am not tired, but I will still climb into bed with her.

I scoop her into my arms, and she cuddles into my chest but stays asleep. I carefully carry her to bed and gently lay her down, covering her up. I sit on the edge of the bed and gently stroke her cheek.

“I wish I could make all of this go away, angel. I am falling for you so hard, and it scares the hell out of me, but I’m in it.” I say in a hushed tone and kiss her forehead.

“I promise I will try my best not to…” I’m not ready to say it to her face yet. I pull away and get to my feet, only so I can strip down to my boxers and climb in next to her. She’s already in her slip, cuddling into me again.

“Tomorrow will be a better day, sweetheart,” I wrap my arm tightly around her. It will take me some time to fall asleep. I have noticed the last few nights the nightmares have stayed away. I truly believe it is because Alyssa is next to me, and it gives me a sense of security. Something I have never experienced with a partner before. They won’t be gone for good, but at least they are less frequent.

I close my eyes and get lost in my thoughts. Good ones. My lips curl into a smile. Alyssa buries her face in my neck and moans softly. I don’t know the cause of it, but it seems to be the effect I have on her—a lot.